Fall
2004

Volume 24 Number 1

IN THIS ISSUE

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In May 2003 the ASA Board authorized the creation of the Archives Network of Alberta (ANA) Committee as a Standing Committee of the ASA. This committee replaced the CAIN Committee, which had been created as a Select Committee of the ASA in 1999. The ANA Committee is responsible for providing leadership and guidance in the development, maintenance and management of the Archives Network of Alberta. This includes overall responsibility for the maintenance and development of existing and future databases and the ASA's web site, as well as the coordination of provincial, regional and national network-related activities, and the promotion of professional standards.

The ANA Committee has been involved in a number of different activities over the past year:

• Alberta InWord - In December 2003, a new textual database for diaires and letters, Alberta InWord, was launched. This database was designed to facilitate our participation in the Archival Resources in the Classroom project; however, it will also function as an on-going database for digitized textual records from our member institutions throughout the province. As in Alberta InSight, all descriptions in Alberta InWord have a link to the relevant fonds level description in the ANA database.
• Long-term storage requirements - It became evident in early 2004 that, due to the large growth of our databases, additional storage space would be required. Knight Enterprises provided the Committee with a number of alternatives, and recommendations were provided to the Board that were subsequently approved. As a result, a major server upgrade was completed in April 2004.
• Marketing Materials - In conjunction with the Public Awareness Committee, and as discussed at the Institutional Forum in May 2003, a series of bookmarks and postcards were designed that feature a selection of images from Alberta InSight. These were distributed in Archives Week in October, and a supply was provided to each participating member in Alberta InSight. Postcards and bookmarks were distributed at a wide variety of events and meetings throughout the year. Due to the success of the first printing and the positive feedback that has been received, a second printing of bookmarks was done in May 2004.
• Images Canada - A recommendation was submitted to the Board in late 2003 that the Archives Society of Alberta become a partner with Images Canada. This was approved by the Board, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed, and a letter was sent to institutional members advising them of the partnership. The committee sent a representative to the Images Canada Annual General Meeting held in Ottawa in May 2004.
• Institutional Member's Survey - A survey of institutional members was undertaken in fall 2003 to determine priorities relating to the development of future databases.
• ANA Special Projects Policy - At the request of the Board, a Special Projects Policy was developed. The policy provides direction regarding requests from institutional members who want to develop, implement host and maintain specialized database resources on the ANA servers, which are outside currently approved allocations of limited available resources.

The members of the ANA Committee are: Susan Kooyman, Raymond Frogner, Sharry Watson, Garth Clarke (board liaison) and Michael Gourlie. I would like to thank the committee members for their hard work and enthusiasm over the last year.